Minor League Report. When will they call Chance Adams up? (Great again). Littell & Perez dominate again, too.

This will be my last report for a while. I will be on vacation, visiting family on the other side of the country for a little over a week. Please bear with me until my return.

I haven’t seen a niece or nephew in 8 years. Or a sister in two years.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

AAA: SWB (44-28) won 11–1.  Chance Adams was once again, awesome. When does he join the rotation? Not only that, when does Austin replace Carter at 1B?

Check the numbers.

Austin DH: 2 Hits, double, HR, 4 RBI.
If you don’t want him to replace Carter, how about 1B Ji-Man Choi? HR, 2 RBI.
RF Jake Cave 2 hits, solo HR.
LF Mark Payton 3 Hits, rbi.
2B Cito Culver 2 hits, double, HR, 2 RBI.

Adams (W, 5-2, 2.12) 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 W, 8 K.
Heller 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 3 K. 2.67. Gave up 1 HR.
Graham 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. 3.57.

Between AA and AAA this year, Adams is 9-2, 1.65 in 14 starts. How long before he is brought up?

AA: Trenton rained out.

High A: Tampa (40-31) won 6-1 in a rained shortened game.  2B Nick Solak (.315) 2 hits, 2 RBI. SS Kyle Holder 2 hits, 2 RBI.

Zack Littell (W, 9-1, 1.77) 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 4 K. 21 yrs. old and someone to watch out for.

Low A:    Charleston (35-36) won 2-1 in 10 innings.

2B Joy Hun Park 3 hits.
LF Blake Rutherford 2 hits.
CF Estevan Florial 3 hits, 1 HR shy of cycle, RBI.

Perez 7 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 W, 4 K. 3.24
Diehl (W, 7-2, 3.58) 2 1/3 IP,  0 R, 3 H, 0 w, 2K.
Mundell (S, 7) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.16

Game 70. Up 5-1, Yanks’ miscues lead to 10-5 loss.

Since I am leaving early Saturday morning for vacation, and will be trying for sleep tomorrow night before my early morning flight, this will be my last post for a while.

Before the game, Refsnyder down, Tyler Webb, lefty reliever, up.

Ouch. Up 5-1, Yankees’ miscues contributed to a 10-5 loss.

Cameron Maybin  homered on the second pitch of the game from Luis Severino to put the Angels up 1-0.

In the bottom of the first, with two out, Judge and Holliday both walked and Castro blooped a single to tie it.

In the second, Carter doubled, Torreyes singled him to third, and Gardner drove him in on a forceout. Hicks singled and Judge hit a 3-run HR (25) to make it 5-1.

After that, it was all downhill.

Severino gave up 2 in the third.

He still had the 5-3 lead entering the seventh.

In the seventh, a leadoff single by the Angels. Then, the play that changed the game. A play that Castro needs to make. Instead of a DP, 1st and 3rd for the Angels, no out. This play was the turning point in the game.

If the Yanks ever make a move, I can see it here, like Torres taking over for Castro and Castro moving to third. There have been a few plays this week alone that Castro needs to make and he hasn’t, costing the Yanks some games. The bat has been great, but he has cost them two games this week because of the glove.

After the crucial Castro error, Betances came in. I was a bit concerned because Betances came in with a 0.40 ERA. A long baseball season is like the stock market. There are “corrections”. A pitcher with that low of an ERA is due for  a bad outing and that is what happened to Betances.

Betances wasn’t helped by an error on Sanchez. Then again, Betances threw a WP.

Domingo German, the rookie, didn’t help himself in the eighth with a WP and an error on a pickoff attempt.

Judge HR, (25) 3 RBI.  Carter had 2 hits.

Severino (L, 5-3, 3.30) 6 +IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 8 H, 2 W, 5 K, Gave up 1 HR.
Shreve (BS,1 ) 1 Ip, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1.80. Should have been out there longer.
Betances 2/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K. 1.16. Was due for a bad outing.
German 2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K. 1.04

 

Minor League Report.

I think I read where Jacoby Ellsbury was cleared to resume BP on Wednesday. If so, and all went ok, he should be starting rehab games soon. It does look like he would be one expensive fourth OF, though. It appears Aaron Hicks has taken his job.

AAA: SWB (43-28) lost 5-2. 1B Tyler Austin 2-run HR. You wonder if he’ll be called up to replace the struggling Chris Carter soon. Girardi didn’t exactly give Carter much of a ringing endorsement the other night. CF Dustin Fowler and 3B Miguel Andujar 2 hits each.

Acevedo (L, 1-1, 4.38) 5 1/3 IP, 5 R, 9 H, 3 W, 4 K.
Feyereisen 2 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 4 K. 2.38
Layne 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00

AA: Trenton (47-24) won 2-1.

Herrera (W, 8-0, 1.13) 5 2/3 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 3 W, 1 K.
Frare (H, 7) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 W, 2 K. 4.66
Brewer (S, 5) 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1.47

High A: Tampa (39-31) won 13-4. 2B Nick Solak 4 hits, 3 RBI. DH Jhalen Jackson 2 hits, 4 RBI. 1B Gosuke Katoh and C Sharif Othman each had 2 hits, 2 RBI. LF Tito Polo 2 hits, rbi.

Koerner (W, 3-1, 2.79) 7 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 W, 6 K.
Harvey 2 IP, 0 r, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00

Low A: No games. Their ASG was June 20. All Star Break.

Game 69. Yanks snap losing streak, beat Angels 8-4.

The Yanks snapped their seven-game losing streak, beating the Angels 8-4 Wednesday night.

More woes for Tyler Clippard, though. The struggling Clippard faced two batters and gave up a double and HR. It’s looking like his role will be reduced.

The win puts the 39-30 Yanks back in first place by 1/2 a game over the Red Sox.

In the second, the Yanks jumped out in front 2-0 on a 2-run HR by Didi Gregorius (8).

Martin Maldonado hit the first of his two two-run HRs in the fourth to tie it up for the Angels.

Matt Holliday made it 3-2 Yanks in the fifth with his fifteenth HR of the season.

In the sixth, Sanchez singled, and Headley walked. Romine doubled in two runs, and Romine scored on a single by Hicks. 6-2 Yanks.

In the seventh, Holliday doubled and scored on a Castro single. Castro later scored on a single by Headley.

Put into a low leverage situation, up 8-2 in the ninth, Clippard faced two batters, gave up a double and HR, and was pulled. It has been a tough time for him lately. Aroldis Chapman then closed out the 8-4 Yankees’ win.

Holliday double, HR (15), RBI
Sanchez 2 hits.
Gregorius HR (8), 2 RBI
Romine 3 hits, 2 RBI.

Montgomery (W, 5-4, 3.74) 5 2/3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Green (H, 3) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. 2.31
Betances 1 Ip, 0 R,.0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.40
Clippard 0 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 3.77. Gave up 1 HR.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.07.

Ex-Yankees’ PR announcer James Hall passed away recently.

 

Minor League Report.

The Yankees released minor league pitcher Travis Hissong.

Lower level leagues, like the short-season and Dominican Summer League have started up but I don’t go down to those levels. Not enough time.

AAA: SwB (43-27) split a DH. They lost the reg. sched. game 4-3. Solo HR’s CF Dustin Fowler, LF Jake Cave and RF Mark Payton.

Mitchell 4 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 5K.  4.50
Webb 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.24
Jones (BS, 3; L, 5-2, 3.93) 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K.

They won the makeup of a May 7 rainout 6-2. DH Tyler Austin a 3-run HR.  1B Ji-Man Choi triple, 3 RBI. 3b Miguel Andujar 2 hits. RF Payton 2 hits.

Mantiply 3 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.03
Wotherspoon (W, 1-0, 2.35) 3 IP 1 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Graham 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.94

AA: Trenton (46-24) lost 14-4. 2B Abiatal Avelino 4 for 4, 2 doubles, RBI. 2 hits & an RBI for LF Devyn Bolasky.

Ramirez (L, 6-3, 3.47) 2 1/3 IP, 7 R, 8 H, 3 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Carter 2 1/3 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 0 W, 1 K. 15.43
Rumbelow 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00
Coshow 2 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 1 W, 2 K 4.71

High A: Tampa (38-31) won 6-0.  CF Jeff Hendrix 2 hits, 2 RBI. DH Tito Polo 2 hits. 2B Nick Solak 3 hits. 2 hits and rbi for 3B Kyle Holder.

Dillon Tate came off the DL (sore shoulder) for his first minor league game of the season.

Tate (W, 1-0, 0.00) 5 2/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 W,  5 K.
Reeves 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 3 K. 4.26
Tarpley 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00

Low A: The North and South for the South Atlantic League played to a 3-3 tie. It was played in rain which got worse after the seventh, when the game was stopped.

Charleston players (South): Blake Rutherford CF, 0 for 0; C Donny Sands 0 for 1.
SS Hoy Jun Park 0 for 1. LF Estevan Florial 0 for 2. 3B Angel Aguilar 0 for 2.

P Trevor Lane 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.

Game 68. Unlucky 7th loss in a row. Yanks battle back, but Clippard costs Yanks’ win.

Ouch. The Yanks fell behind 3-0, battled back to tie it at 3, and Girardi went “formula” bringing in his “seventh inning” guy, Tyler Clippard, who has been pitching poorly lately, and who blew the game.

The Yanks lost 8-3.

Those who know me know I hate managers who go by the book or binder. You aren’t hired to go by the book or binder. You are hired to USE YOUR BRAIN. To see what is going on and act accordingly by what you are seeing.

I consider managers who go by the book or binder lazy managers. If you have to go by that, and not by your gut, your eyes, what you are SEEING, then to me, you are a lousy manager. Sorry, but…

Michael Pineda gave up a run in the first and two more in the second to put the Yanks in a 3-0 hole. An error by Chris Carter led to the two runs in the second, both unearned.

In the fourth, Castro singled, Sanchez walked, and a couple of flyouts made it 3-1. SF for Headley.

Aaron Judge’s 24th HR of the year made it 3-2 in the fifth, and Gary Sanchez’ 12th HR in the sixth made it a 3-3 tie.

Then Clippard came in and gave up a HR, double, and flyout that was caught at the fence. At this point, I pull him. After all, three batters, a HR, double, and out that was close to being a 2-run HR. I pull him.

Instead, Clippard stays in to give up another double. Not that it would have mattered anyway, given the final score, but maybe a reliever here keeps it at 4-3 and the Yanks have a chance for a comeback.

Leaving Clippard in for that fourth batter and second double killed off any chance at a comeback.

Now, the Yanks only got 4 hits on the night, so blame has to be put on the offense, but please put away the binder, etc. and go by what you see. And if a guy gives up a HR, double and long flyout caught in front of the fence on his first three batters, then you know he doesn’t have it and get him the heck out of there.

With the loss, the Yanks fall to 38-30, 1/2 game back of Boston.

Here is what I mean. See below. Shreve faces ONE batter. Strikes him out. So why the bleep do you take him out to go to your “seventh inning guy”? Doing so takes a pitcher out who did well with the one batter he faced, puts in a new pitcher who stunk and cost you the game.

Whatever happened to riding the hot hand? Shreve here, was the hot hand. Pulled for NO GOOD REASON, other than you are going to your “seventh inning guy.”

What bullshit.

Please, Joe. Next time, go by your gut and what you are seeing. Throw the book away and get rid of that “7th inning guy” “8th inning guy” “9th inning guy” bullshit.

Use your eyes. Manage by what you see.

I blame modern baseball, and modern baseball managing, for this loss. Shreve faced one batter and got him out. Why pull him?

 

Pineda 5 2/3 IP, 3 R, 1 ER (Carter error), 7 H, 1 W, 7 K. 3.56
Shreve 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.83       Should have started the next inning.
Clippard (L, 1-4, 3.14) 1/3 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Holder 2 2/3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 W, 2 K. 3.77. Gave up 1 HR.

 

 

Minor League Report. Torres needs TJ surgery, done for year.

Yankees’ top prospect, INF Gleyber Torres, needs TJ surgery and is done for the year. He injured his non-throwing elbow sliding into home the other day and hyperextended the elbow, injuring ligaments as well.

The Yanks were possibly grooming Torres to take over at 3B for Chase Headley later this year. They also now have promoted 3B Miguel Andujar to AAA. Andujar is an option for the future at 3B, also the Yanks may look at the trade deadline for a 3B. They aren’t happy with Headley’s performance so far.

Besides 3B, the Yanks may also look to upgrade at starting pitching and 1B. With CC out until early August and Tanaka struggling, an upgrade in the rotation, via Chance Adams being called up,Fo or a trade, looks imminent.

Also, 1B has been a problem with Greg Bird hurt and shut down, and the disappointing performance of Chris Carter. Here, the Yanks could look at a promotion (Tyler Austin, Mike Ford, Ji-Man Choi) or look to trade.

These are three positions that bear watching over the next month. How do the Yanks upgrade here? Is there a big deal brewing?

AAA: SWB (42-26) won 6-1. CF Dustin Fowler double, HR, 2 RBI. 3 hits, HR, 2 RBI LF Jake Cave. 3 hits, RBI 2B Donovan Solano. RF Clint Frazier 2 hits.

Lail (W, 4-2, 4.78) 6 2/3 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 W, 3 K.
Layne (H, 1) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00
Heller 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. 2.48.

AA: Trenton off.

High A:   Tampa (37-31) won 4-2. 2B Nick Solak 2 hits, solo HR. LF Tito Polo 2 hits, rbi. C Sharif Othman 2 hits.

Widener (w, 4-6, 3.94) 6 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 4 K.
Foley (H, 1) 1 2/3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 3 K. 1.59
Gomez (S, 2) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K. 2.55

Low A: Charleston off.

UPDATE: Yanks’ minor league pitcher Matt Marsh has been suspended 50 games for using a banned substance.